VOR: Lining up for the run into Cape Town
The Spanish crew of Leg 2 leaders MAPFRE were cautiously keeping one eye on their rivals and the other on Cape Town on Wednesday as they came within just over 800 miles of the finish line. Two days ago Xabi…
Offshore
News, race results plus editorial coverage from the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Vendée Globe, The Ocean Race, ARC, Fastnet, Transpac, Ocean Globe Race, Global Solo Challenge and Offshore Yachting from around the world.
Jules Verne attempt: Macif due off Cape Leeuwin later this week
After a little over 17 days at sea, François Gabart is still in the lead by about one-and-a-half days in relation to Thomas Coville’s time, the current holder of the single-handed round the world record. The MACIF skipper hopes to…
Volvo Ocean Race: Temperatures falling as race heats up
The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race might be entering its final few days but the final positions are far from decided. MAPFRE continued to lead the seven-strong fleet on Tuesday, but their 35 nautical mile advantage yesterday had…
Record RORC fleet ready in Marina Lanzarote
The start of 4th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race – the first leg of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta – is just a few days away and crews from the record fleet are making their last preparations prior to the 3,000…
Support streams in as Clipper fleet heads for Fremantle
As the Clipper Race teams look ahead to arriving in to Fremantle later this week, Skippers from across the fleet have expressed their gratitude on behalf of the crew for the messages from back home after a tough few days…
Wild Oats XI recognised by Royal Thames Yacht Club
The most successful yacht in the 72-year history of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the Oatley family’s supermaxi Wild Oats XI, has received another international accolade, this time from the world’s oldest “Royal” yacht club, the Royal Thames, in…
VOR: Temperature falling; wind increasing; stealth mode in play
Dutch crew Team Brunel opted to go into stealth mode on Monday, cloaking their position from their rivals for up to 24 hours – as Spanish team MAPFRE led the Volvo Ocean Race fleet towards Cape Town. Brunel skipper Bouwe…
A time of quiet reflection for Clipper fleet following death of a crew member
Racing has taken a back seat over the past 24 hours for the Clipper Race fleet following the tragedy on board CV30 (GREAT Britain) yesterday. Speaking on the loss of round the world crew member Simon Speirs, Sanya Serenity Coast…
Whistler wins Maria Island Race
David Aplin’s yacht Whistler has added the 70th Tasports Maria Island Yacht Race to an outstanding offshore racing career over the past decade and more. The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania today confirmed the MBD36 as winner of both the AMS…
New leaders as Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race moves into its final week
While it may be a relaxed Sunday for many around the world, that is surely not the case for the Volvo Ocean Race fleet battling for position in the South Atlantic. In particular, the navigators and skippers are faced with…
Lucas Chapman blog – Neptune's visit, crossing the equator, trade wind sailing
With the reverse mohawk I’m sporting, you might be forgiven for thinking I’m struggling to adapt to life on this carbon box. That’s not the case, well not yet anyway, it’s still early days. All credit for my new hairstyle…
Volvo Ocean Race: Weekend warriors prepare for battle
Those following the rankings and tracker for the Volvo Ocean Race could be forgiven for thinking they’d glanced away for more than one of the six-hour position reports. The leaderboard is constantly undergoing a shake-up, reflective at the moment almost…
Oskana in overdrive for line honours in Maria Island Race
Prominent Hobart surgeon, Targa Rally driver and yachtsman and Michael Pritchard shifted his canting keel Cookson 50 Oskana into overdrive today to win line honours in the 70th Tasports Maria Island Race in Tasmania. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race…
Francois Gabart – from record to calmer conditions
On Thursday, François Gabart entered the Indian Ocean in a record time of 12 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes, but this Friday he is taking advantage of calmer weather to rest up and give his boat a once over….
Volvo Ocean Race teams leverage up with crucial 24 hours ahead
Leg Two of the Volvo Ocean Race is entering a critical tactical phase this weekend as the teams position themselves to pick up the weather systems that will carry them to Cape Town. A 130 nautical mile lateral split has…
Clipper Race sleigh ride begins
Christmas has come early for the Clipper Race fleet which is finally enjoying the downwind sailing conditions that teams have been hoping for as they gear up for the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint. There has been no change to the…
Clipper teams waiting for a wind shift in Indian Ocean
It has been a pleasant day for the leading teams on Day 16 of Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race but teams are eagerly waiting for the stronger westerlies, which will carry them through the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint…
VOR: A roll of the dice in the South Atlantic
At the 1300 UTC ranking Simeon Tienpont's AkzoNobel was in the Leg 2 top spot because their trajectory, around 70 nautical miles to the east of the fleet, puts them closer to Cape Town than any of their rivals. But…
François Gabart sets the outright Ouessant – Cape Agulhas reference time on board MACIF
Less than two days after pulverising his own 24-hour distance record (851 miles), François Gabart crossed the longitude of Cape Agulhas on Thursday morning at 08.25 AM (UTC+1), which marks the entrance to the Indian Ocean, after just 11 days,…
Mini Transat podium filling up after Lipinski was first to finish
Amidst all the fanfare of the finish, the race continues… Indeed, there have been a succession of arrivals in the port of Le Marin, but for the overwhelming majority of the racers, there are still some days to go before…
Halfway home – the race to Cape Town enters a new phase
The seven international teams all now have less than 3,200 nautical miles left in the 7,000-mile stage from the Portugal capital of Lisbon to Cape Town, South Africa. The south-easterly tradewinds that blow south of the Equator remained kind to…
VOR: Back to business in the South Atlantic
With Monday's Equator crossings already a fading memory for the Volvo Ocean Race crews, gone too is any respite, however brief, from the relentless action that's characterising the second leg. Many sailors awoke on Tuesday sporting new haircuts or with…
François Gabart beats record for distance sailed single-handed in 24 hours
In sailing 818* miles from Monday to Tuesday afternoon, a figure that may yet change this evening, François Gabart has overtaken the legendary limit. He pushed the MACIF trimaran hard to avoid being caught in strong winds behind him and…
Countdown on to Melbourne Osaka Cup 2018
The countdown is on and, momentum and tension are building as the 29 boats taking part in the Melbourne Osaka Cup 2018 continue to arrive in Melbourne, Australia ahead of the first start date. Conducted by Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC),…
Wind frustrates Clipper fleet on their run towards Fremantle
A waiting game has descended over the Clipper Race fleet, with all the teams waiting on the wind to decide their fates heading into the second half of Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race to Fremantle, Australia. PSP Logistics…
Into the south – Volvo Ocean Race fleet pushes into Southern Hemisphere
Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng Race Team led the fleet over the famous line of latitude at 0941 UTC with the slimmest of leads over MAPFRE, Vestas 11th Hour Racing, Team Brunel and team Akzonobel. By 1126 UTC all five boats in the…
Lipinski 24 hours from Mini Transat victory
Less than twenty-four hours from the finish, Ian Lipinski looks to be heading towards an historic double. Thus far, never before has a racer won in the production boat category and then repeated his win in the prototype category two…
Lipinski closes on finish line in Mini Transat
Whilst the fleet carves out a route between the latest squalls in what is a very shifty trade wind, each of the skippers has his or her own method of keeping up morale and making the most of this Mini-Transat…
Pittwater to Paradise entries closing
Entries close on December 1 for the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and so far a healthy international fleet of 25 yachts ranging in size and concentrated in the 40-50ft zone are starters for the race north and chance…
Clipper Race: Sanya Serenity Coast firs to Scoring Gate
Sanya Serenity Coast, which has also moved back into first place on the leader board, crossed the northern end of the Scoring Gate at 2103 UTC last night to collect the maximum three bonus points on offer. Australian skipper Wendy…
Volvo Ocean Race: Further compression expected approaching Doldrums
With the fleet approaching the latitudes of the Doldrums, speeds are expected to drop and indeed the leading boat, Dongfeng, was down to 12 knots of speed on the 13:00 UTC position report. Boats just 10 miles further back were…
Mini Transat: No lasting armistice on the ocean
Ninety nine years ago, the armistice of 11 November 1918 heralded the end of the First World War, and on Saturday, its anniversary will play out on the great Atlantic chessboard, by way of a nod to history, as the…
Clipper Round the World: Heading to the scoring gate
PSP Logistics remains in top spot on the leader board for Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race to Fremantle, Australia, but the real race at the moment is who can reach the Scoring Gate first. Only the top three…
Giovanni Soldini in world record attempt
A new record to beat for Maserati Multi70 and Giovanni Soldini after claiming the record for the ‘Gold Route’ from New York to San Francisco and the ‘Tea Clipper Trade Route’ between San Francisco and Shanghai. The latest record attempt…
Dongfeng leads fleet south with Stealth Mode in play
Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng Race Team was putting on a display of straight-line speed sailing on Friday as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet bore down on the Doldrums. The Chinese-flagged team had eked out a narrow five-mile lead over rivals MAPFRE,…
Mini Transat: A storm brewing
You could get a sense of it from looking at the competitors trajectories – the trade wind, never totally steady at the best of times, has been ruffled by stormy squalls, which are causing significant variations in the wind, both…
Clipper Race 3 Day 9: Sailing the unfavourable tack
PSP Logistics has moved into poll position on Day 9 of the Dell Latitude Rugged Race to Fremantle. Sticking to the more southerly route, it has taken a 32 nautical mile lead over Sanya Serenity Coast, which until now has…
Clouds bring beauty but more challenges for Volvo Ocean Race fleet
As temperatures rise and strong winds give way to localised storm activity on the approach to the Doldrums, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is picking its way through the cloud systems, attempting to connect the dots, joining the wind pressure…
Mini-Transat La Boulangère – nothing new out west
The better it is, the less it changes… In fact, the rankings are looking increasingly similar with every passing day. Even the more or less radical options are failing to shake up the hierarchy of the skippers’ respective positions. However,…
Solo round the world: François Gabart is near the Equator
It is almost behind him now! Ocean racers always dread the doldrums as they often mean slowing down suddenly and strong thunderstorms. This intertropical area of convergence only slightly hindered the progress of MACIF, which entered it on Wednesday, and…
